Sharp divide in community over gun-board bill

Gov. Rick Snyder has yet to sign a bill disbanding county gun boards, but local gun owners and supporters of victims of domestic violence disagree on the level of effect the change could have in Calhoun County.

A loophole in Senate Bill 789 makes concealed weapons permits available to people who are the subjects of personal protection orders unless a judge has specifically said that person is not allowed to possess a firearm.

The bill chief aim is to eliminate the authority of county gun boards authority to do background checks, random interviews and healthcare backgrounds for concealed pistol license applicants. Michigan State Police and county clerks would take charge of background checks; the application fee would fall by $15 to $90. If signed, the bill would take affect October of this year.

Snyder’s staff has said he is considering whether to sign the bill.

Jennifer Fopma isn’t convinced the new bill is supportive to women who have been in domestic violence situations.

“However they streamline it, I think the role of firearms in domestic violence is enormous and beyond controversy,” said Fopma. “Anything that defends any bill that gives accused batterers the right to use guns I think puts women in jeopardy.”

Fopma is the executive director of SAFE Place, a shelter for women and children who have been subjected to domestic and sexual abuse in Calhoun County. Domestic violence calls for service in Calhoun have increased the past six year, rising to more than 2,900 calls for service in 2013. SAFE stands for “Secure Area Family Environment.”

Though Fopma said she has nothing against guns, she said allowing a person to carry a concealed weapon in a power-control environment is dangerous for victims.

Fopma said in households where there’s domestic violence and guns, women are more likely to be killed. She said personal protection orders are not easy to get and said most victims are hesitant to file because they think it will escalate the problem.

“Judges don’t just hand out protection orders,” Fopma said.

“Even some who ask for it are denied it,” she said. “So it’s not something that anyone can just go get. So if there’s a protection order, there’s a reason for it to be in place.”

Calhoun County Sheriff Matt Saxton said he doesn’t think the bill will make a big difference in Calhoun. He said he expects the bill to cause more work for county clerks, but said it’s rare for a judge to not make a note about possessing a firearm.

“My estimate from seeing PPOs in Calhoun County -- over 90 percent of the time the judge does mark ‘Not able to possess a firearm’,” Saxton said.

The sheriff also said taking away county gun boards leaves a hole for people with mental illnesses who may not have criminal records, but are not mentally stable, either.

“It takes away local input on some of the mental illness side of things that would not be found during the background check,” Saxton said.

Saxton said in a given year, Calhoun County will have 6,000 to 7,000 active concealed pistol permits. Revoked or suspended permits in a year typically total fewer than a dozen. Saxton said most criminals know not to apply for the license because they have already been told they will be denied.

“Typically we don’t see people applying who have an active PPO on them because they know they can’t get one,” Saxton said.

He said with the current bill if a protection order is filed, the gun board is notified and the license is suspended.

Wayne Groth, chairman of the Calhoun County Gun Owners Association, said that’s part of the issue. He said an accusation of domestic violence without evidence shouldn’t be enough to withhold or revoke a license or guns.

“Someone who’s just having an emotional snip fit, having gone and obtained a personal protection order against someone … and knew the person had guns and knew they could get them in trouble” shouldn’t succeed in the process, he said.

Groth said most of the association’s members support the bill.

However, Groth said he doesn’t support abusers obtaining a concealed pistol license, either.

“We shouldn’t have some hot head who can’t control his temper carrying a gun,” Groth said.

For Groth, the bill is more about ditching county gun boards that he says have made it harder for worthy gun owners to obtain licenses in some counties than it is for criminals to obtain guns. Groth said he has not had a problem with the current county gun board, but he believed the bill could help people in other counties.

“It’s not going to make things easier for bad guys at all,” he said.

Call Olivia Lewis at 966-0581. Follow her on Twitter: @TheWrittenPeace